I guess I can speak from experience. Last October 31st, 2008, I underwent a radical prostatectomy for a cancerous prostate. So far, all my test results have been negative. That's the good news.

When the prostate is removed, the urethra is severed and it must be resectioned, i.e., sewn back together. Until the healing is complete, you have to be on a catheter. That, and the trauma of the surgery weakens the sphincter muscles and this leads to, results in urinary incontinence. If all goes well, the catheter is removed after 10 days or so and you have to train your muscles to involuntarily contract and hold the urine in the bladder. For many, the recovery is never 100%. Retention ability is reduced, and things like coughing, sneezing, or just standing for long periods will cause leakage. Still, not having cancer is an easy trade off. There are other results. Erections may or may not be a possibility after the operation. There will be nerve damage and if you desire erections, medical assistance may be necessary. The routing of sperm is changed as there is no longer a prostate and its glandular production which gives the semen its volume. Sperm is now routed to the bladder. Sperm actually makes up very little of the volume of the semen. The net result is that there is no ejaculation at orgasm. Orgasms are still possible and can still be very pleasant. Mine changed from a series of intense contractions to a very pleasant and intense flash of sensation that seems to affect the whole body. Maybe this is more like a female orgasm.

Why isn't the prostate remove during GRS? It is just too traumatic, requires much additional surgery that would require more incisions and body cavity invasion, and it just isn't necessary. The absence of testosterone will cause the prostate to shrink, and if cancer was not present at the time of the operation, the chance of cancer in the prostate is greatly lessened. I'm sure many new girls will affirm that ejaculation at orgasm might continue for a while. Remember, the seminal vesicles are still present, and semen will still be present for a while.

What went wrong? I said that not having cancer was the good news. I had the robotic surgery, which is supposed to be less invasive, result in less blood loss and less pain. Some time during the day after my surgery, I started hemorrhaging. I lost considerable blood, and began to develop intense pain. You know that scale of 1-10 with smiley faces? I was a ten, or as close to it that I would ever want to be, not that I would want it at all. My blood pressure started to crater and I actually requested a transfusion. I got three units. I also requested morphine, and got that too - good stuff.

At 2:30 AM they rushed me back to the OR and opened me up the old fashioned way. What they found was that all the stitches had come apart (Why has been avoided when asked). There was also a hole in my bladder. The result was that my intestinal cavity was being flooded with urine. I woke up later in the morning with a bunch of new incisions and a nice wire shut incision. I also had a new catheter. I actually remember the resident inserting and removing several catheters until he could get one large enough to prevent leakage around the outside. The normal size is about a 14-16. I ended up with a 24!

It gets worse. I started vomiting several days later. My intestines had shut down due to the exposure to urine. I had to have a 'PIC' IV inserted into a vein in my upper arm. I had a nasal-pharyngeal tube to keep my stomach evacuated and I was fed through an IV for the next two weeks until my intestines started working. The problem was that the doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong. It took my wife's best friend, a nurse and midwife, to diagnose the problem from a thousand miles away. I underwent a third surgery six days later. That's three surgeries in eight days. I had a super pubic catheter to supply fluid to flood the area around my bladder ad keep the pressure positive outside so that the urine wouldn't leak out while the bladder healed.

I was released from the hospital after three weeks. I had visiting nurse care for five weeks. My catheter was removed after six weeks. That was almost exactly one year ago. I am still basically 100% incontinent, and I may never recover. I think there is improvement; however, if I stand or walk, my bladder drains completely. I am not full open; however, there is a small stream of urine. That very large catheter did a lot of damage.

Am I angry? Yes. Am I thankful? Yes. I don't have cancer. I don't get significant erections, but much of that is due to past and present hormone usage. That's not that important. I am down to using three packages of Depends every two weeks versus three a week at the beginning. The two doctors who operated on me have left the hospital for other places. One had been the chief surgeon of the urinary oncology department; the other was second in charge. Friends say I should sue, but I don't know what could be accomplished. I missed six month's work; however, I have my military retirement and Social Security. I am working now as a safety consultant, as I did before. I just have to find restrooms very quickly when I stop my car. I can live with it.

Portia